WDW in March - Weather and Crowds

[chudlyfudly]

Hi all,

I was pensive to clog up the forum with another post asking about what the weather might be like, so many apologies if I'd be better seeking this info somewhere else.

I'm from the UK and am travelling to WDW in March - it's all booked, I'll be going from 6th-20th. Unfortunately, I'm limited to these dates all year for a full 2 weeks without something clashing. I've only ever been to WDW between June-August in my trips in the past.

When I booked I was aware that two things might be worth consideration in my planning - USA school holidays and the weather might not be what I'm used to from my previous Disney trips.

So I guess I have a few questions; is it any more crowded in March than it would be in June-August? As an uninformed Brit, I feel like the portrayal of Spring Break is it's kind of a massive party - are the parks going to be inundated with college kids? Is there in anyway a different atmosphere than the rest of the year? Once again, very sorry if this is kind of a 'dumb' question, I literally have no idea what it's like over there that time of year.

Lastly, is it likely to be shorts and T-shirt kind of weather (I know that it could be unseasonably warm or cold that time of year, but as a general rule for March?)? I suppose it'll vary from person to person but from anyone who's had experience there this time of year I'd greatly appreciate your help! I've googled the average temperatures, but some real world experience would be brilliant.

 

[richmo]

March can be crowded. College spring breaks seem to occur the first or second full week in March. While there will be a lot fo college kids, I wouldn't think of it as a different atmosphere. I've found the college kids to be mostly appreciative of being there and I certainly wouldn't think of it as a massive party.

Crowds also depend a lot on when Easter lands. In 2018, Easter is April 1, so the last week of March will be VERY crowded as the week leading into Easter is one of the busiest of the year. Since you're leaving the 20th, you'll just miss that.

Chances are you will be in shorts and T-shirts most of the time. When I was there this year at the end of March, a few days even climbed into the 90's (I think that's about 30 c). It wasn't for me this year, but in years past there have been some cool mornings and definitely some cool evenings, so be sure to at least pack a light jacket or sweatshirt...but you shouldn't need them much.

 

[chudlyfudly]

Thanks Richmo, that's really helpful and just the sort of info I was looking for. I think I was probably most thoughtful of the atmosphere so it's certainly good to know it won't be necessarily negatively affected by spring break.

 

[dreiwhit]

We went from February 29 through March 4 last year. The crowds weren't bad - certainly manageable - and the weather was nice. Not too hot and you didn't need to worry about a jacket.

 

[chudlyfudly]

We went from February 29 through March 4 last year. The crowds weren't bad - certainly manageable - and the weather was nice. Not too hot and you didn't need to worry about a jacket.

That's good to know! This is all very reassuring. I didn't used to go in the Summer specifically for the hot weather, but equally it's nice to have something that feels nicer than the standard UK climate.

 

[deedubb]

We have gone several years over our March break and never found the crowds to be that bad, but I think our March break in Canada doesn't coincide with most of the spring break in the US.

As for the weather, I would suggest preparing for both extremes. One year, it was incredibly hot and we were still in t-shirts and shorts at night. This year, we had a few really cold days that were windy and you needed a jacket and long pants during the day. We also found that the weather forecast can change in an instant. Forecast didn't look too bad when we left, but within a couple of days of arriving, it changed drastically with very cold weather. A couple of mornings the temp was in the 40's and with the wind, it was very cold. In general though, you should be able to expect t-shirt/shorts weather during the day and a jacket or sweatshirt over top of that at night.

 

[deedubb]

Look at the Historical/Average temps, not the actual temps.

 

[chudlyfudly]

We have gone several years over our March break and never found the crowds to be that bad, but I think our March break in Canada doesn't coincide with most of the spring break in the US.

As for the weather, I would suggest preparing for both extremes. One year, it was incredibly hot and we were still in t-shirts and shorts at night. This year, we had a few really cold days that were windy and you needed a jacket and long pants during the day. We also found that the weather forecast can change in an instant. Forecast didn't look too bad when we left, but within a couple of days of arriving, it changed drastically with very cold weather. A couple of mornings the temp was in the 40's and with the wind, it was very cold. In general though, you should be able to expect t-shirt/shorts weather during the day and a jacket or sweatshirt over top of that at night.

Thank you for your help, deedubb. As always, very useful to hear real world experience. My obsessive planning has already lead me to create a little spreadsheet of average temperatures across the years, but as you've pointed out there does seem to be on occasion quite a bit of variation. In 2014 for example, for my dates, the lowest hi temperature was 17 (62) and the highest hi was 29(84). Granted 17 isn't necessarily cold but working on the principle that for that particular day that was the warmest it got...it certainly does seem to fluctuate.

I'm probably going to put up another thread for this, but I'm wondering also if you've been several times in March as to whether you've been there on St Patrick's Day, and if so whether it had any impact (be it positive or negative) on the parks?

 

[deedubb]

I'm probably going to put up another thread for this, but I'm wondering also if you've been several times in March as to whether you've been there on St Patrick's Day, and if so whether it had any impact (be it positive or negative) on the parks?

Yes, we have been there on St. Patrick's day and I don't really recall it having any impact on the parks.

 

[chudlyfudly]

Cheers deedubb, reassuring to know it's not going to be too much of a big deal.

 

[deedubb]

No worries. Have a great trip!